As wireless communication networks become more ubiquitous, there is an increased demand for wireless-enabled electronic devices such as consumer laptops, palmtops, netbooks, PDAs, cellular telephones, and wireless adapters or embedded or plug-in modules therefor. In any particular time period and/or geographic area, there is typically a plurality of wireless communication protocols available for use. Traditionally, a wireless-enabled device is pre-configured at the time of manufacture to operate using one of these protocols.
However, the pre-configuration approach is subject to several problems. For example, device manufacturers must make different devices compatible with different protocols. This requires different manufacturing, sales, marketing, shipping and other logistical efforts for different customers and/or geographic areas. As a result, there is a fragmentation of the market, which can reduce benefits due to economies of scale and reduce profitability while increasing cost. Furthermore, licensing royalties may be payable at the time of manufacturing, wherein these royalties may be based on the protocols being supported by the device. Such royalty costs can be significant, and may be wasted if the device is never sold or used in a particular licensed mode. This problem exists both for computing devices having embedded wireless capabilities, and external “plug-in” devices such as wireless adapters for conferring wireless capabilities onto a host device.
One approach to the above-mentioned logistical problems is to provide a multi-purpose communication module which can selectively operate using one of a variety of wireless protocols. For example, Qualcomm's Gobi™ chip can provide wireless communication capabilities for both EV-DO and HSPA networks. However, this approach requires pre-configuration of a device capable of operation in plural modes, which increases device cost and complexity. In addition, royalty costs are further increased due to use of plural wireless protocols in such devices. Therefore, this approach does not reduce royalty costs, but may in fact increase them.
Another approach is to provide software-configurable wireless devices which use software modules to configure the device for operation according to a particular protocol. Software defined radios or other software configurable radios are exemplary of this approach. U.S. Pat. No. 6,785,556 discloses a software configurable wireless modem that can be configured using software downloaded by a host computer. However, merely designing a software-configurable device and associated modules does not address logistical issues such as providing a viable organizational model or value chain for providing and supporting such wireless devices in the current marketplace.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0078924 discloses a software configurable radio that can be configured using software downloaded from a host computer. Configuration may be performed only after determining if digital rights management policies are satisfied.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 7,319,870 discloses a method for subscribing to a wireless service through a brokering agent. The brokering agent operates to connect reconfigurable wireless subscriber units to a desired wireless service provider based on subscriber criteria. The brokering agent may also act as a neutral middleman that facilitates the establishment of a subscription relationship between the subscriber unit and a service provider.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,996,537 discloses a system and method for providing downloadable subscription-based software to a wireless device, and for accounting for the use of said software. Accounting information can be used to generate billing data for billing a user of the wireless device.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,600 discloses a method for configuring a software programmable radio by a server. Upon a request for programming the radio, the server checks for a valid license or establishes a new license. When a valid license is granted, the server transmits information to the radio for configuration thereof. The server then updates a database to reflect usage data associated with the information received by the radio. At least some of the usage data can be sent to a records computer, such as a billing records computer of a service provider or a subscriber's records computer tracking the total number of uses of a software program.
However, dissemination of information related to device configurations in the above-mentioned references is limited to subscribers and service providers, and possibly neutral third parties such as brokering agents. Moreover, each of the above-mentioned references considers only a portion of the potential stakeholders involved in the wireless marketplace. This represents a limitation to the space of available revenue agreements between stakeholders, since transaction information is not accessible to some stakeholders such as device manufacturers and third party licensors. Therefore there is a need for a method and system for provisioning and tracking provisioning of a wireless communication device that overcomes one or more of the problems in the art.
This background information is provided for the purpose of making known information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention.